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of  the  CM 


Wiley  and  Edic 


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CHILDREN  OF  THE  CLIFF 


•   I.  •   •  • 


.-w,. 


CHILDREN  OF  THE  CLIFF 


BY 


BELLE    WILEY 


AND 


GRACE   WILLARD    EDICK 


D.  APPLETON  AND   COMPANY 
NEW  YORK 


*  >•' 


ComUGHT,  X905,  BY 

Bk  APPLETON  AND  COMPANY 


Printed  in  the  United  States  of  America. 


TO 

THE    CHILDREN 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

I. — The  cliff  country i 

II. — Lost «        .  13 

III. — The  tower 18 

IV. A    CLIFF    house 28 

V. — The  cliff  home 35 

VI. — The  dress  of  the  cliff  people        ,        .  44 

VII. — The  race 50 

VIII. — The  feast 59 

IX. — The  journey 66 

X. — Home  again 72 


CHAPTER   I 

THE  CLIFF   COUNTRY 

Little  Teni  and 
Mavo  lived  in  a 
dry  sandy  country 
far  away  from  here. 

They  lived  with 
their  father  and 
mother  high  up  on 
a  rocky  cliff. 

All  about  them 
were  rocks  and 
sand. 


2   J-CiliO>REN   OF   THE   CLIFF 

They  could  not  play  in  the 
shade  of  the  trees,  because  in 
that  dry  land  there  were  very 
few  trees. 

But  the  little  boy  and  girl 
had  great  fun  climbing  up  and 
down  the  rocks  and  running  in 
the  sunshine. 

One  day  when  Mavo  and 
Teni  were  playing  at  the  foot  of 
the  cliff,  they  saw  some  baby 
rabbits  not  far  away. 

They  were  brown  rabbits,  just 
the  kind  that  Teni  loved  to  play 
with. 


THE   CLIFF   COUNTRY  3 

^^Oh,  Mavo!  Let  us  catch 
them/'  he  said,  and  the  two  ran 
off  together. 

As  the  children  came  near, 
the  Httle  rabbits  scampered  away 
as  fast  as  they  could. 


The  mother  rabbit  was  waiting 
for  her  children  in  a  hole  near 
by  and  they  ran  straight  for 
home. 

Mavo     laughed     as    the     little 


4  CHILDREN   OF   THE   CLIFF 

creatures     ran     over     the      sand 
toward  the  hollow  cliff. 


'*Come,  Mavo/'  said  Teni. 
''  We  can  catch  them  if  we 
hurry." 

They  did  not  see  the  rabbits 
go  into  the  hole,  and  ran  on 
and  on. 


THE   CLIFF   COUNTRY  5 

'*  I  see  them,  Teni,"  said  Mavo, 
pointing  to  a  brown  spot  in  the 
distance. 

But  when  they  came  to  the 
brown  spot  they  saw  only  a  stone. 

They  looked  all  about  them, 
but  could  find  no  trace  of  the 
rabbits.  Mavo  was  so  disap- 
pointed not  to  find  them! 

*' Where  are  the  rabbits?"  said 
Teni. 

**We  have  lost  them.'* 

**They  may  be  hiding  there,"  he 
said,  looking  toward  a  clump  of 
cedar  trees,  at  the  foot  of  the  cliff. 


6  CHILDREN   OF  THE   CLIFF 

The  two  children  ran  among 
the  trees,  but  could  find  no  rabbits. 

Mavo  was  tired  and  thirsty,  so 
Teni  said,  '*Sit  down,  Mavo;  I 
will  get  you  a  drink  of  water. 
See,  the  rocks  are  wet.  There 
must  be  a  spring  in  the  cliff.'' 

Mavo  sat  on  a  rock,  while  her 
brother  climbed  up  the  cliff  to 
the  spring. 

As  he  stooped  down  to  take 
a    drink    he    wondered    what    he 

could  use  to  car- 
ry some  water  to 
Mavo. 


THE   CLIFF   COUNTRY  7 

He  looked  around  for  a  gourd 
but  could  find  none. 

The    only   thing   he    could    use 
was    the    little    skin   bag 
that     hung     around     his 
neck. 

He  never  opened  this  bag,  for 
he  knew  that  if  he  lost  the  bit 
of  bears  fur  from  inside,  no  one 
would  know  what  his  real  name 
was. 

The  children  of  the  cliff-dwell- 
ers took  their  names  from  their 
mothers. 

These   names  were  very  queer, 


8  CHILDREN   OF   THE   CLIFF 

because  they  were  the  names  of 
animals  or  the  sun  or  the  moon. 
The  httle  piece  of  fur  showed 
that  Mavo  and  Teni  belonged  to 
the  bear  family. 


Teni  knew  that  Mavo  was 
very  thirsty,  so  he  took  the  bag 
from  his  neck  and  opened  it. 

He    held    the    fur    tight    in   his 


THE   CLIFF   COUNTRY  9 

iiand,  for    he    had    no    pocket   in 
his  loose  skin  tunic. 

Mavo  drank  the  clear  water,  and 
Teni  sat  down  be- 
side her  and  put 
the    fur    carefully- 
back   in  the  bag. 

Being      very 
warm,    he     threw 
off  his   skin   tunic  for  a  few  min- 
utes and  rolled  about  in  the  sand. 

The  brother  and  sister  meant 
to  rest  only  a  moment,  but  as  the 
shadows  grew  longer  and  longer 
the     little     heads     drooped,     and 


%0        CHILDREN   OF   IHE   CLIFF 


soon  they  were  fast  asleep  in  the 
warm  sand. 

The  sun  went  down. 


w  /  > 


THE   CLiFF   COUNTRY  ii 


«  #       # 


The  little  stars  came  out. 

Their  mother  had  told  them 
that  these  were  baby  suns,  and 
that  the  pale  moon  was  the 
mother. 


4-^ 

■»«. 

« 

m 

^& 

m 

M/ 

tV 

i»^ 

«&^ 
^.'J^^ 

# 

o 

/<•  k 

12 


CHILDREN   OF   THE   CLIFF 

As  the  ehil- 
dren  slept,  an 
owl  cried  over 
their  heads,  and 
the  black  bee- 
tles ran  over  their  little  brown 
feet. 


CHAPTER   II 


LOST 

In  the  early  morn- 
ing, when  Father  Sun 
began  to  put  his  star 
babies  to  bed,  the  Httle 
diff-dwellers  awoke. 

They  looked  about  for 
their  father  and  mother, 
for  they  thought  they 
had  been  sleeping  on 
their  own  little  skin 
bed. 


CHILDREN   OF   THE   CLIFF 

"Why,  Ten!/'  said 
Mavo,  ''we  are  out  of 
doors ;  see  the  red  cHff, 
and  the  cedar -tree  over 
there/' 

They  called  and  called, 
but  no  one  answered. 

Even  the  owl  had 
gone. 

Ten!  took  Mavo  by 
the  hand,  and  said,  ''Let 
us  go  home." 

So  they  started  straight 
for  the  cliff  which  they 
'  thought  was  home. 


LOST  15 

They  walked  and  walked,  but 
the  cliff  was  not  as  near  as  it 
seemed. 

Mavo  began  to  cry,  and  said, 
*'Oh,  Teni,  hurry  home,  I  am 
so  hungry!" 

"Never  mind,  Mavo,"  said 
Teni,  '*  I  will  find  something  for 
you  to  eat,  and  then  we  will  try 
to  find  home/' 

So  Mavo  stopped  crying,  and 
clung  to  Teni's  hand,  as  he  looked 
about  for  the  little  plant  which 
he  knew  was  good  to  eat. 

Teni   had   to   look  a  long  time, 


i6        CHILDREN   OF   THE   CLIFF 

and    Mavo  was  very  tired    before 
he  found  the  plant. 

''  See,    Mavo !    this    is    what    I 
have  been  looking  for,"  said  Teni, 


f32r> 


^w  J, 


as    he    stooped    down    and    pulled 
up  an  herb. 

''  Let      us     eat      these      roots ; 


LOST  17 

they  are  very  good  ;  then  we  will 
start  for  home/' 

The  brother  and  sister  stopped 
a  short  time  to  eat  their  break- 
fast of  roots,  then  they  ran  on 
again. 

As  the  sun  grew  hotter  the 
sand  seemed  to  grow  heavier. 

How  glad  they  would  be  to 
find  their  home ! 


CHAPTER   III 


THE  TOWER 

As  they  stopped  a  moment 
to  rest  under  some 
sage-bushes,  they 
saw  something 
which  frightened 
them. 

A  band  of  fierce 
Indians  was  com- 
ing toward   them. 

The  Indians 
had  paint  on  their 


THE   TOWER  19 

faces    and    bows    in    their    hands. 
They    had    long    black    hair    like 


Teni's,  but   their    skin  was    much 
darker. 

Mavo  clung  to  Teni,  and  both 
crouched       behind 
the  bushes. 

They  did  not 
speak,  for  fear  the 
Indians  might  hear 
them. 

Teni  drew  Mavo  close   to   him 


20         CHILDREN    OF   THE   CLIFF 

and  wiped  the  tears  from  her 
eyes.  He  knew  that  this  tribe 
of  Indians  hated  his  people,  and 
would  kill  him  and  his  sister  if 
they  should  find  them. 

It  was  well  that  the  children 
were  hidden  by  the  trees,  for  the 
Indians  passed  by  without  seeing 
them. 

The  children's  eyes  were  filled 
with  red  dust  so  that  they  could 
not  see  for  a  long  time. 

When  the  dust  cleared  away, 
they  saw  a  man  running  toward 
them. 


1  em,         said 


THE   TOWER  21 

He    was    running    from    those 
fierce   Indians. 

'*  Look,  look, 
Mavo,  '*  there  is 
father  coming  for 
us.  See!  Here 
he  is  !  Call  him, 
Teni ! '' 

Teni  jumped 
up  very  quickly 
and  called  as 
loudly  as  he 
could. 

The    man    understood    the    call 
because  he  was  a  cliff-dweller  too. 


22         CHILDREN   OF   THE   CLIFF 

The  cliff  peopk  were  Indians, 
who  had  a  language  of  their 
own. 

As  the  man  came  nearer,  the 
children  saw  it  was  not  their 
father,  though  he  looked  very 
much  like  him. 

''What  are  you  doing  here?'* 
he  said  to  Teni. 

''  We  want  to  go  home,"  said 
the  boy,  ''but  we  can  not  find 
the  way." 

"You  can  not  go  home  now," 
said  the  man,  "for  those  Indians 
would  get  you." 


24        CHILDREN  OF   THE   CLIFF 

*'  Come,  I  will  take  care  of  you/* 

He  took  Mavo  in  his  strong 
arms,  and  telling  Teni  to  follow, 
he  walked  over  the  hot  sand  to 
a  tall  tower  on  the  cliff. 

The  tower  was  made  of  stones 
held  together  with  clay. 

It  stood  high  on  the  cliff,  and 
from  its  little  windows  one  could 
see  far  into  the  valley. 

When  the  cliff-dwellers  were 
in  this  fortress,  they  were  safe 
from  their  enemies  because  when 
the  ladders  were  pulled  up  there 
was  no  way  to  get  in. 


THE   TOWER  25 

The  man    found    a    ladder  and 

raised    it    to  a    hole    high    in  the 
tower. 


They    climbed  ^ 


it  and  were  soon  ^    "'  "  |^' 
inside. 
MavoandTeni 


'^ji''     y  looked     through 

the  peep-holes  in 

the   walls    while 
their    new    friend    pulled     in  the 
ladder. 

*'Are  you  hungry?"  said  the 
man,  looking  toward  the  chil- 
dren. 


26        CHILDREN   OF  THE   CLIFF 

Mavo  nodded,  for  she  was 
very  hungry. 

The  brother  and  sister  had 
had  nothing  but  herbs  to  eat 
since  the  day  before. 

''  I  will  look  for  some  food," 
said  their  new  friend.  ''There 
must  be  some  here/' 

Then  he  climbed  into  the  store- 
room and  came  back  with  his 
hands  full  of  dried  meat. 

He  gave  the  meat  to  the  chil- 
dren, and  while  they  ate,  he 
climbed  down  to  a  room  below 
and   pulled  some  willow  branches 


THE   TOWER  17 

from  a  hole  in  the  wall.  He 
called  the  children,  and  lifted 
them  into  this  room. 

It  was  dark  down  there,  but 
he  told  Mavo  and  Teni  not  to 
be  afraid,  for  they  would  soon  be 
out  in  the  light. 

They  crawled  through  the  hole 
into  a  dark  tunnel. 

The  way  was  very  long  and 
the  children  were  very  tired. 

But  soon  they  reached  the  end 
of  the  tunnel. 


CHAPTER   IV 

A  CLIFF   HOUSE 

They  were  glad  to  see  the 
sunshine  again. 

They  sat  down  at  the  foot  of 
the  diff  to  rest  a  moment. 

''Is    that    your    home.'^"    asked 


2& 


A  CLIFF   HOUSE  ap 

Teni,   pointing    to     the     cliff    far 
above  him. 

Mavo    looked    up 
at  the  stone  house  on     ff  •"C^.r^sf-i*' 
the  rocky  shelf. 

This  house, 
with  its  plas- 
tered walls, 
looked  like  a 
part  of  the  cliff. 

There    were 
finger-prints  in 
the  plaster,  for 
the  people  had  worked  with  their 
hands,  because  they  had  few  tools. 


30        CHILDREN   OF  THE  CLIFF 

The  tools  they  did  have  were 
made  of  stone  and  bone. 

The  children  noticed 
a  woman  climbing  into 
the  high  door-way. 

Mavo  said,  '*Who  is 
that?" 

"  My  wife/'  replied 
Demino. 

The  woman  turned 
and  saw  the  children. 

She  wore  a  loose  skin 


A   CLIFF   HOUSE  31 

tunic,    and    her    long    black    hair 
hung  over  her  shoulders. 

She  smiled  at  the  children,  and 
motioned  to  Demino  to  come  up 
into  the  house. 

A  little  boy  was  shouting  to 
his  father  from  the  small  window 
above  the  door.  ^^-^^i-- 

He,  too,  had  \' 
seen  the  strangers,  ^^,' 
and   wished   them 


to  come  m. 

Demino   waved      ^ 
his  hand   and   said,   *'That  is  my 
little  boy.      He  wants  to  see  you.*' 


32         CHILDREN   OF   THE   CLIFF 

"  Let  US  hurry  and  climb  the 
ladder." 

Mavo  cried,  "  I  will  not  go ! 
I  will  not  go !  I  want  my 
mother ! " 

She  did  not  like  the  strange 
house. 

Teni  put  his  arm  about  his 
sister  and  said,  **Come,  Mavo. 
We  must  be  brave.*' 

When  they  were  in  the  house 
even  Teni  felt  strange,  for  it  was 
viery  much  larger  than  his  house. 

Tears  came  to  his  eyes,  but  he 
tried  hard  not  to  cry. 


A   CLIFF   HOUSE  33 

^^Oh,  Mavo!"  he  called, 
''see!"  and  they  ran  to  the  cor- 
ner, where  a  tiny  brown  baby  lay 
fast  asleep  on  a  deerskin. 

The  little  boy,  who  had  been 
climbing  up  and  down  some 
wooden  pegs  in  the  wall,  ran 
toward  them,  saying,  ''That  is 
my  baby  brother/' 

Mavo    lay   down    on    the    deer- 


''^^3sf»^ 


34        CHILDREN   OF   THE   CLIFF 

skin  and  put   her  little   hands  on 
the  baby's  cheek. 

She  was  happy  now,   and   soon 
fell  asleep. 


CHAPTER  V 

THE  CLIFF   HOME 

**  Come,    Teni,"    said    the    little 
boy,  ''  I  will  show  you  my  home/' 

TenI  was  glad 
to  see  this  strange 
house,  for  he  had 
never  been  in  one 
so  large  before. 

They  climbed  about  from  room 
to  room. 

There  were  so  many  that  Teni 
could  not  count  them. 


35 


36         CHILDREN   OF   THE   CLIFF 

After  a  while  the  little  bo) 
said,  *'  Let  us  go  into  this  store- 
room." 

So  they  climbed  the  notched 
pole  and  lifted  the  stone  from 
the  hole  which  led  into  the 
largest  granary. 

Teni  said,  ''There  is  only  one 
granary  in  our  house.  How 
many  have  you  ? " 

'*  Five/'     said     the     little     boy, 
^^  ''but    this    is    the 

%^  Q^  largest  one." 

"See  how  much  food  we 
have ! " 


THE   CLIFF   HOME  37 

Teni's  eyes  opened  wide  with 
wonder.  He  had  never  seen  a 
storeroom  so  well  filled.  There 
were  piles  and 
piles  of  skin 
boxes  filled 
with  powdered 
buffalo's  meat. 
There  were 
large  baskets 
filled   with   grain   and  beans. 

In  one  corner  was  a  box  of  wheat, 
and  hanging  from  the  pegs  in  the 
wall  were  the  skin  clothes  and  skin 
leggings   ready  for  winters  wear. 


38         CHILDREN   OF  THE   CLIFF 

The  boys  climbed  up  some  of 
the  pegs  and  looked  over  the 
wall  Into  the  large  reservoir. 

There  was   only  a   little  water 
in  it,   because    it    had   not    rained 
for  many  months. 

One  of  the  stone 
jars  on  the  wall  had 
some  water  in  it,  and 
Teni  took  a  long  drink, 
they  crept  carefully 
along  the  wall  till  they  came  to 
a  part  of  the  cliff  which  hung 
over  the  reservoir. 

The    boys    stood    here    a    few 


Then 


THE   CLIFF   HOME  39 

moments  and  looked  down  at  the 
water, 

''This  reservoir  is  nearly  emp- 
ty/' said  Teni. 

''Have  you  another?'' 

"Yes,"  said  the  boy,  "but  we 
pray  for  rain  every  day,  because  the 
other  reservoir  is  nearly  empty  also/' 

Just  then  Teni  thought  of 
Mavo,  so  they  started  back. 

On  the  way  they  stopped  at  a 
round  room  which  was  in  the 
center  of  this  queer  house. 

"What  is  this  room?"  said 
Teni. 


40        CHILDREN   OF  THE   CLIFF 

''The  kiva/'  said  the  boy.  ''All 
the  men  of  this  cliff  village  sleep 
here  on  the  skins  which  you  see 
scattered  about." 


On  a  shelf  in  one  part  of 
the  kiva  was  a  curious-looking 
doll    baby    with    a    painted    face, 


THE   CLIFF    HOME  41 

long      hair,      and      bright-colored 
clothes. 

This  doll  was 
an  idol,  so  the 
children  stopped  to  put  some  red 
corn  at  its  feet,  touching  its  dress 
very  gently. 

''  Let  us  light  the  fire,''  said 
Teni. 

They  walked  to  a  hole  in  the 
center  of  the  floor  and  sat  down 
beside  it. 

Then  they  rubbed  two  pieces 
of  flint  together  to  make  a  spark. 

They    lighted    the    cedar   wood 


42         CHILDREN    OF   THE   CLIFF 

that  was  in  the  hole,  and  watched 
the  flames  grow  brighter  and 
brighter. 


*'  Hush !  *'  said  Teni,  ''we 
must  be  very  quiet.  I  can  hear 
the  spirits  talking  in  the  fire/' 

''The  spirits  say  that  Mavo 
and   I  will  soon  be  at  home  with 


THE   CLIFF   HOME  43 

father    and    mother    and    we  shall 
be  glad,   too/' 

By     and     by     the     boys     went 
quietly  from  the  still  room. 


CHAPTER   VI 

THE   DRESS   OF  THE  CLIFF  PEOPLE 

''Let  us  race  back/'  said  Teni, 
''and  I  will  tell  Mavo  what  the 
spirits  in  the  fire  said/' 

Away  they  ran  as  fast  as  they 
could,  and  the  race  was  soon  over. 

Teni  was  a  good  runner,  but 
he  did  not  win  this  time. 

Mavo  was  awake  and  very 
glad  to  see  her  brother. 

She  jumped  up  to  meet  him 
and    led    him    to    a    part    of    the 

44 


DRESS   OF  THE   CLIFF   PEOPLE    45 

room     where    two    women    stood 
over  a  fire. 


Teni  watched  them  as  they 
mixed  the  ground  corn  with  water 
and  poured  this  on  a  hot  stone. 

The  women  were  very  busy,  so 


46         CHILDREN    OF   THE   CLIFF 

that  they  did  not  notice  the 
children. 

They  had  much  piki  to  make, 
for  the  men  would  soon  be  home. 

**  May  I  have  some?''  said 
Mavo. 

Then  the  women  looked  up 
and  saw  the  three  children  stand- 
ing near  them. 

They  gave  Mavo  a  piece  of 
piki  for  herself  and  another  for 
Teni. 

The  other  little  boy  was  not 
hungry,  but  sat  down  with  the 
others  while  they  ate. 


DRESS   OF   THE   CLIFF   PEOPLE    47 

Demino  was  just  coming  back 
from  the  store-room  with  some 
dried  peaches  and  powdered  buf- 
falo's meat. 

He  placed  this  food  on  the 
floor  and  heated  another  stone 
for  the  women, 
so  that  they  could 
make  more  pikl. 

Just  then  Baby  awoke  and 
began  to  cry,  so  his  mother  gave 
him  a  warm  drink  of  herbs  and 
water. 

Mavo  said,  ''  I  will  give  the 
baby  some   of  this  piki ;"   but  the 


48        CHILDREN   OF   THE   CLIFF 

mother  shook  her  head  and  said, 
^*No,   Baby  is  too  little/' 


Teni  took  the  beads  from 
his  sisters  neck  and  gave 
them  to  the  little  one. 

Soon  Baby  was  happy  play- 
ing with  the  beads  and 
pulling  at  Mavo's  loose  skin 
dress. 

Teni's  clothes  were  of  skin  too ; 


DRESS   OF   THE   CLIFF   PEOPLE    49 

even  his  little  moccasins  were 
made  of  soft  skin. 

In  winter  these  cliff  Indians 
wore  heavier  skin  clothing,  and 
long  leggings  which  came  up  to 
their  knees. 

They  never  needed  caps,  for 
their  hair  was  long  and  thick. 

They  loved  to  wear  bright 
beads  and  bracelets,  and  often 
painted  their  faces  with  gay 
colors. 


CHAPTER  VII 


THE   RACE 


Teni  and  his  new  friend  took 
Mavo  by  the  hand  and  cHmbed 
out  on  the  rocky  shelf,  which  was 


CO 


THE   RACE  51 

the     only     yard      these      children 
had. 

They  walked  toward  a  place 
where  some  women  were  making 
jars  from  clay. 

One  woman  was  mixing  the 
clay  with  water,  while  another 
shaped  the  jars  with  her  hand. 

Near-by,  on 
the  ground, 
were  many 
jars  of  dif- 
ferent shapes 
which  were  being  dried  by  the 
sun. 


52         CHILDREN   OF   THE   CLIFF 

The  cliff-dwellers  used  these 
jars  for  holding  water. 

The  children  watched  the  wom- 
en for  a  while,  then  went  to 
another    part    of    the    cliff  where 

other  women  were 
weaving  baskets 
from  cedar  fibers. 

The  baskets  were 
closely  woven,  so 
that  they  could  be 
used  to  carry  water. 
As  the  children 
stood  there,  Demino 
came  down  the  lad- 


THE   RACE  53 

der  with  a  water  jar  on  his  head, 
and  behind  him  came  his  wife 
with  the  baby  on  her  back. 


'*  Let  us  have  a  race,"  said 
Teni.  Mavo  wanted  to  run  too, 
but  Teni  said    she  was  too    httle. 

The  boys  cHmbed  down  to  a 
lower  shelf  where  more  cliff  peo- 
ple were  gathered. 


54        CHILDREN   OF   THE   CLIFF 

Here  were  other  boys,  and  they 
wanted  to  race  too. 

They  were  soon  on  the  sandy 
ground  below  the  diff  and  ready 
for  the  start. 

One  of  the  boys  had  a  large 
dog.  He  wanted  him  in  the  race 
too,  because  he  could  run  so  fast. 

^.         M^  They  started 

sSf^fcis^i^s^"^         off    toward     a 

^^/^-fe^  hill.    The  boys 

were  to  race 
to  the  hill  and  back.  The  boy 
who  won  was  to  ride  a  pony  be^ 
longing  to  one  of  the  men.  > 


THE   RACE  55 

On  and  on  they  ran,  while  the 
diff  people  strained  their  eyes 
watching  them. 

Teni  seemed  in  the  lead,  but 
just  as  they  were  nearing  home 
the  large  dog  dashed  ahead  and 
won  the  race. 

Teni  came  next. 

The  dog  wagged  his  tail  as 
the  boys  ran  up  to  him. 

He  looked  at  Teni,  as  much 
as  to  say,  ''You  may  have  the 
ride.'* 

Now  the  pony  was  led  up,  and 
Teni  was  lifted  to  its  back. 


56         CHILDREN   OF   THE   CLIFF 

Teni  could  ride  a  pony,  be- 
cause all  Indian  boys  are  taught 
to     ride     when     they     are     very 

young. 

So  he  started 
off,  sitting  very 
straight  and  look- 
ing proudly  be- 
fore him. 
Mavo  clapped  her  hands  and 
said,   ''  Hurry  back,  Teni." 

**  I  will,"  answered  Teni,  as 
the  pony  galloped  away. 

The  boy  and  the  pony  were 
soon  hidden  by  the  thick  dust. 


THE   RACE  57 

In  a  short  time  Ten!  was  back. 

He  jumped  down  quickly  and 
patted  the  pony's  head,  happy 
because  he  had  had  so  fine  a 
ride. 

Just  then  some 
men  came  up. 

They  had  been 
hunting,  and  now 
all  the  people 
crowded  round  to 
see  the  fine 
game  they  had 
brought. 

The  hunters  were  very  hungry, 


58         CHILDREN   OF   THE   CLIFF 

SO  they  all  turned  back  to  the 
cliff  village  to  cook  the  deer  and 
rabbits  which  they  had  killed. 

There  was  great  haste  to  pre- 
pare the  food  for  the  hungry 
men. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

THE   FEAST 

While  Demino  lighted  the  fire, 
his  wife  brought  some  corn  and 
ground  it  in  the 
stone  mortar. 

Another 
woman    cooked 
more     piki     on  J 
the   hot    stones,  \] 
while     one      of 
the  men  went  to  the  reservoir  for 
a  jar  of  water. 


59 


6o        CHILDREN   OF  THE   CLIFF 

Then  the  hunters  skinned  the 
animals  and  roasted  them. 

The    women    were    not  hungry, 

so  while  the 
men  ate  they 
busied  them- 
selves weaving  baskets  and  mats 
of  coarse  grass. 

Demino's  wife  stretched  the 
deerskin  on  the  rocks  in  the 
sun. 

"  Let  me  help  you,"  said  Teni, 
as  he  ran  toward  the  woman. 

She  let  him  help  her  stretch 
the  skin  and  then  thanked  him. 


THE   FEAST  6i 

"What    are    you    going   to    use 
this  skin  for?*'  said  the  boy. 


*'  It  will  make  a  warm  winter 
coat  for  my  little  boy,"  she 
said. 

''  My  mother  makes  my  coats 
from  skins,  too,"  said  Teni. 

As  the  men  ate,  they  talked. 


62         CHILDREN    OF   THE   CLIFF 

They  wished  for  rain,  that  they 
might      plant      their      corn      and 

beans. 

The  wind  might 
blow  the  seed  away 
if  the  rain  did  not 
come  to  wet  the 
dry  sand. 

*'  The  rain  is 
late  this  year,"  said 
one,  ''  but  our  dried 
fruit  will  last  a 
long  time  even 
though  we  have  no 
grain," 


THE   FEAST  63 

The  cliff  people  dried  their 
fruit  in  the  sun. 

We  would  not  have  liked  it 
because  it  was  so  sour. 

Soon  the  men  noticed  Teni 
and  Mavo  and  asked  who  they 
were. 

*'They  are  children  of  the 
Bear  people,  our  neighbors,"  said 
Demino. 

''  This  morning,  as  I  was 
walking  near  the  tower,  I  saw 
a  band  of  Indians  coming  to- 
ward me. 

*'  I    knew   them   to  be  our  ene- 


64         CHILDREN   OF   THE   CLIFF 

mies,  SO  I  ran  quickly  toward 
some  cedar  trees. 

*'The  Indians  did  not  see  me, 
but  these  children  were  hiding 
behind  the  trees,  and  called  to 
me  as   I   came  along. 

''They  had  lost  their  way  and 
could  not  find  their  home. 

''I  was  afraid  that  the  Indians 
would  find  us,  so  went  straight 
to  the  tower. 

''We  crawled  through  the  tun- 
nel and  came  here. 

"  I  shall  take  the  children  home 
as  soon  as  the  sun  goes  down.*' 


THE   FEAST  65 

Ten!  and  Mavo  heard  Demino 
say  this,  and  kept  watching  for 
the  sun  to  tell  them  when  it  was 
time  to  go  home. 


Igv^         '      ' -^ 

CHAPTER   IX 

THE  JOURNEY 

Just  at  sunset  the  two  children 
stood  on  the  diff. 

All  about  them  was  beautiful 
red  sandstone. 

So  red  were  the  rocks  that  the 


66 


THE  JOURNEY  67 

setting  sun  made  them  glow  like 
fire. 

Every  little  bush  in  the  valley 
was  covered  with  gleaming  red 
sand. 

The  few  white  rocks  looked 
like  silver  in  the  fiery  light. 

**  Oh,  Teni/'  said  homesick  little 
Mavo,  ''let  us  go  in  and  ask 
Demino  to  take  us  to  our  mother 
and  father/' 

But  Demino  was  already  climb- 
ing down  the  cliff  to  get  his 
pony. 

The  brother  and  sister  jumped 


68 


CHILDREN   OF   THE   CLIFF 

With  joy  when 
they  saw  him. 

'^Oh,  Demi- 
no  ! "  they  said, 
*'  are  we  going 
home  now?'' 

''  Yes,  *'  said 
Demino. 

''  M  ay  we 
ride  on  the 
pony?''  said 
little  Mavo. 
''  I  am  not 
afraid." 

Demino    lift- 


THE  JOURNEY  69 

ed  Mavo  on  the  pony  and 
told  Ten!  to  jump  up  behind 
her. 

**You  must  not  let  Mavo  fall, 
Teni/'  said  Demino.  ''  I  will 
walk  beside  you,  and  lead  the 
pony  to  your  home/' 

The  people  had  gathered  on 
the  cliff  as  Teni  and  Mavo  start- 
ed off. 

The  children  shouted  ''Good^ 
by  !  "  and  ''  Thank  you  !  '*  and 
Demino's  little  boy  waved  his 
hand  as  long  as  he  could  see 
them. 


70        CHILDREN   OF   THE   CLIFF 

''See,  there  is  the  tower, 
Mavo,"  said  Teni. 

''We  must  be  very  far  from 
home,  for  I  never  had  seen  the 
tower  before  this  morning." 

"Your  father  has  been  there,'' 
said  Demino.  "  He  can  tell  you 
all  about  it/' 

They  rode  a  long  while,  and 
Mavo  grew  very  tired. 

Teni  put  his  arms  about  her, 
and  said :  "  We  will  soon  be 
home,   Mavo." 

As  they  rode  on,  Mother  Moon 
and    the    baby    stars    seemed    to 


THE  JOURNEY  71 

smile  and  say,  "We  are  glad, 
too,  that  you  will  soon  be 
home." 


CHAPTER  X 

HOME  AGAIN 

The    father    and    mother    had 
been    looking    far    and    near    for 

their  little  boy  and 
girl. 

They  had  no 
one  to  help  in 
the  search,  because 
they  did  not  live  near  any  other 
cliff  people. 

In  their  house  there  was  room 
for  only  one  family. 


n 


HOME  AGAIN  73 

There  was  no  way  of  calling 
the  people  together,  because  the 
cliff-dwellers  had  no  chief,  as  some 
of  the   Indians  had. 

At    last   the    tired    parents    had 
gone  into  the  kiva  to 
pray    to    the    gods    to 
lead      their      children 
safely  home. 

They    threw    them- 
selves down  and  scat-  /^  ^^ 
tered    handfuls  of  sa-  (  il 
cred   corn    before    the 
bear,  which  they  thought  they  saw 
in  the  fire. 


74        CHILDREN   OF  THE  CLIFF 

These  cliff  people  worshiped 
the  bear  because  they  took  their 
name  from  it. 

The  deer  family  worshiped  the 
deer,    and    the    snake    family    the 

snake. 

When  they 
were  hunting 
they  were  very 
careful  never  to  kill  the  ani- 
mal from  which  they  took  their 
name. 

''Hush,"  said  the  mother,  ''the 
spirits  tell  me  our  children  are 
coming." 


HOME   AGAIN  75 

The  father  also  hstened  for  the 
voice  of  the  spirits. 

The  voices  seemed  to  say  that 
the  children  were  safe  and  would 
soon  be  at  home  again. 

The  father  and  mother  sat 
about  the  fire  for  a  long  time, 
then  rose  quietly,  and  after  throw- 
ing more  corn  to  the  flames,  walk- 
ed out  of  the  kiva. 

They  went  on  the  cliflf,  and 
looked  about  them  for  some  sign 
of  their  children. 

''The  moon  is  clear  to-night," 
said   the    father.      ''There   are   no 


76         CHILDREN   OF   THE   CLIFF 

clouds    to    hide    her    Hght.     She 
will  guide  Teni  and  Mavo  home." 


''  Where  can  they  have  been 
all  day?'' 

''If  only  we  knew  that  they 
were  safe  ! " 

The    mother   and    father    could 


HOME   AGAIN  77 

not  see  the  pony  as  it  neared 
the  diff. 

Mavo  had  fallen  asleep  in 
Teni's  arms,  and  Demino  walked 
on,  thinking  how  glad  the  par- 
ents would  be  to  see  their 
children. 

Teni  did  not  say  a  word,  but 
kept  looking  toward  his  home. 

The  father  and  mother  were 
looking   anxiously  into   the  valley. 

While  they  were  watching, 
they  saw  shadows  in  the  dis- 
tance. 

''  Look  !  '*  said  the  mother.      "  I 


78         CHILDREN   OF   THE   CLIFF 

see    something.     Can    it    be    our 
children?" 

They    waited    a    moment,    then 
the     father     cHmbed     down     the 


cliff  and  ran   quickly  toward    De- 
mino. 

The     children     clung    to    their 


HOME  AGAIN  79 

father  while  Demino  tried  to  tell 
the  story. 

The  father  did  not  wait  to 
hear  very  much,  for  he  wished  to 
get  back  to  the  mother. 

How  happy  he  was  to  find 
that  the  fierce  Indians  had  not 
harmed  his  children !  and  he  thank- 
ed  Demino  again  and  again. 

As  they  came  nearer  the  cliff 
they   saw   their    mother   watching. 

She  waved  her  hand  and  call- 
ed to  them,  but  they  could  not 
hear  her,   they  were  so  far  below. 

Then    she    raised    her   arms    to 


HOME   AGAIN  8i 

the  moon  above,  and  called  aloud 
her     thanks    for 
the    safe    return 
of  her  children. 

The  little  boy 
and     girl     were 
soon  clinging  to  ""M^ 
their  mother  and 
trying  to  tell   her  all   about  what 
had  happened. 

That  night  their  dreams  were 
happy,  for  they  were  safe  in  their 
own  home. 


(XT) 
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